In the beginning, we have an idea. The idea is an event where people can come together and trade, grow their network, and live outside of normal routines for just a few hours. The event is birthed and excitement builds quickly. Visions of a crowd smiling are everywhere.

The beginning is a critical time. We are motivated and moved to make something happen. Without question, this is the time to put together a few major pieces that will make the event process move smoothly. If done quickly, it can make the event better or more realistic for the hosts. These items are 1) defining the objective of the event, 2) who is going to make it happen, the decision maker/lead of the event, 3) what is it going to take to be a great event?

The objective of the event is often a large contributor to a few key ingredients. Objective defines what the event is supposed to do. It sets the foundation for the type of event it is to be, and lastly is the main guide towards the theme. Without an objective, the event may not get off the ground, rolling aimlessly towards a date without any real enthusiastic motivation behind it. Objective defines purpose. Purpose creates drive. The theme of the event puts a face to it, an image that will be memorable to prospects.

Who is going to make the event happen? In a small business, it is either a hired event planner/marketer, an internal manager, or the owner. Each one has positives and negatives to lead the event to success. A person who can lead, is organized, creative, people oriented, resilient, and patient is the best person to lead the show. These qualities might not be all in one person, but can be had in a small team. Possibly everyone mentioned before is involved.

The leader of the event will often use a committee or team to get all the work done. A small event can be done with one to three people. A large event could take a platoon of people who like to throw parties.

The person who makes it all happen is a very important part of the event. Without someone to herd cats, be Keeper of the Event Plan, and be Event Therapist, the event might be lackluster. The event may fizzle or explode before the day of the show.

An event planner/manager/marketer is a keystone for a great event. I have seen many small events do well with someone with basic skills. Being able to put details together by using a guide found online is very helpful. It keeps things on track. Time frames and tasks are often laid out together, making things much easier.

The larger the event, the larger the skill set of the decision maker of the event. Experienced event planners and marketers can provide valuable consulting, if not be the main coordinator of the event.

Defining what it is going to take to be a great event is an important answer to get. Three common factors of any event are time, money, and energy. Being able to balance the three and be able to achieve the objective is what makes a great event. (Obviously ‘great’ can be defined in many ways. If the objective is met, no money problems at hand, and no one was hurt, it was a good event.)

There is only so much of any of time, money, and energy. The objective of the event, and the anticipated results of the event, will decide how much of each will occur. In relation to time, asking how long will it take to get everything done and promotions at their maximum appeal is what time is all about. Is this a big event that happens every year? Is this a test run for other events down the road? And other questions help plan when things occur, which is also a function of energy.

The energy required to have a great event is defined by the objective, quantity of staffing for execution, and anticipated size of the event. How much one person can put into any event is limited. Larger events take more people. Simply put, the amount of energy that can be expended is directly related to the budget, or how much money is reasonable to make the event a success.

Small businesses do not have bottomless accounts to throw large parties. An event being funded by small businesses has to see a payoff and be done within a reasonable budget. Spending too much money on staff, not enough on marketing, and more are weighted decisions that guide finding balance in the area of money.

Looking at the objective, the amount of payoff can be calculated. Whether the event is a concert in the park or customer appreciation day at the store, cash flow can be discussed. If the event has a history, budgeting is easier. For a first time event, budgeting is difficult because cash flow can be estimated within ten percent at best. More often the margin error is larger. Expenses are the most determinable line items.

Revenues from the event can be the day of the show only, like a concert. A one time event that generates money from merchandise, concessions, ticket sales and more. One day, and it is time for recovering.

Revenues can be a long term objective related to brand awareness, like customer appreciation days every first Friday of the month. An ongoing event that is proven to attract a percentage of customers over a regular day is a good thing. If I know I can go to Smith Farm Supply and get a burger, I’ll likely stop by, eat, and get the things I need.

When you hatch your idea, take the time to make immediate notes on how the event will occur. These notes will guide you. They will help you understand what you were thinking at the time. Too often have I lost those thoughts because they were not written down.

Taking the time to pay attention to the initial parts of an event being planned will alleviate problems later.

In your heart and in your mind you already know this is true. That’s why we’ve come together…you’re seeking a solution.

What you’re doing is not working the way it should be – or the way it once did.

There was a time when just doing a good job was enough to stimulate word-of-mouth or running an ad or sending a mailer could get you some leads and deals. That’s not the case anymore.

You want – and have a right to expect – more.

More leads.

More business.

More commissions

And more money.

We don’t blame you. You didn’t get into this business to clown around or work like a dog.

But that’s what too many small businesses and professionals are doing.

Wasting their time, money and opportunity with traditional marketing practices that are dead.

The ideas we will teach you have been in use for over one hundred years. We only use time tested direct response marketing tactics that are responsible for the most effective marketing efforts in history.

One time we were explaining these concepts to a small business owner here in Orlando, Florida.
He’d had been a sales professional and now a small business owner for over 25 years and was always researching marketing techniques.

At the beginning of our meeting, we could tell he was a little skeptical – because of our young age.

But when we were done with our rapid fire explanation of our “Gravitational Marketing Secrets” – and how they could revolutionize his business – he stared at us and finally said, softly, “I’ve been in this business for more than 25 years, and I’ve never heard any of this before.”

We’re not surprised.

It’s a conspiracy.

It’s perpetrated by media professionals, sales imposters, creative morons and ad agencies. You see, these people are all deathly afraid that you – the advertiser – will be able to track and measure the results of your marketing expense.

This is a huge opportunity for you.

Most people, most business owners, most sales professionals don’t know this information (and many of the ones who do know it are too stubborn, too lazy or too egotistical to take action).

The wise business owner and sales pro who takes this information and runs with it will be in striking distance of dominating their market, making their competition impotent – even small businesses and sales professionals that have been doing this for ages – are ending up with a lead and business producing machine so powerful that you’re actually able to take a few days off each week because the system runs itself.

This is exactly why we created the Gravitational Marketing.

In the second Law of Gravitational Marketing for Small Businesses, we’ll tell you how to DOUBLE the probability that a customer will do business with you. Can you imagine?

It is really great to know that leading phone solutions specialists today can provide practical solutions that will let all businesses or companies, big or small, experience all the benefits that first-rate phone systems for offices can bring, and at affordable prices.

And to get the best value of investing in a business phone system, start by choosing the right phone services provider. Their professional experience and reliability can provide all businesses the needed solutions and technologies that are truly beneficial and their expertise can help the business-owner or decision-maker to understand the options better and therefore lead them to make smarter, well-informed decisions.

Here are some useful tips to consider in choosing a good phone system provider:

Look for a provider that offers plans and/or systems that are simple and clear. Choose a provider who can deliver all-in-one solutions that can make life simpler and more manageable for the business and all the staff. Leading providers present easy-to-understand proposals to help clients select the best option according to their business type and requirements.

They can be flexible with the payment methods. Reputable well-known providers can come up with friendly pricing and easy payment options by giving customized solutions that are relevant to the unique business needs of their clients. As such, phone systems for small business is highly attainable and can really materialize.

They have a well-experienced and responsive customer service and technical team. The best and most reliable provider makes sure they employ only experienced and qualified professionals who can provide technical services and comprehensive, ongoing support to clients. They are also easy to reach and very helpful anytime they called up.

The provider has a wide range of selections from leading brands. Smart businesses know that investing in established phone system brands such as Avaya, Panasonic, LG-Ericsson, Samsung and Alcatel is more practical in the long run because of the reliable performance and more innovative features these manufacturers offer. Choose a provider that is also an authorised seller of solutions from established brands and ensure top-rate performance and service, as well as significant return on investment.

Keeping the above traits or features in mind when looking for and choosing your phone system provider will certainly enable you to have one less worry in running your business and have the best and dependable communication system in the company that you, your staff and customers can always use effectively and rely on.

One of the most frequent questions emailed to me throughout last year was related to how to go about internet marketing promotions for small businesses.

It’s quite amusing how small businesses consider themselves to be a whole different kettle of fish when it comes to doing business online. The truth is that the online space is the only place where small business can actually compete head to head with big business.

In the offline world big business dominates because they have the financial clout, however the online world things are slightly different.

If you can create enough buzz online, you can outwit big business and beat them at their own game. Small business internet marketing promotions are fundamentally no different to internet marketing promotion for big business; there are a few basic principals that apply:

Get loads of qualified traffic

Convert the traffic to leads

Convert your leads to sales

More traffic means more leads, and more leads means more sales… it really is that simple.

And the great part is that doing business online gives you and equal chance to compete with any other business out there.

To get you started here are some great ideas on how to get your loins share of website visitors with some simple, but often overlooked internet marketing promotion strategies.

Build an email list to encourage repeat visits

Create Viral Marketing Videos

Participate in pay per click (PPC) advertising

Participate in banner exchange programs

Target value keywords in your Search Engine Optimisation strategy

Create Joint Ventures with your competition

Use podcasts to attract new visitors

Exchange links with highly relevant websites

Participate in Co-registration lead building

Do plenty of press releases

Participate in product review exchanges

Post in forums relevant to your industry

Participate in newsgroups relevant to your industry

Participate in traffic exchange programs

If you started at ZERO and got just 10 leads a day from each of the above strategies, that would account for a whopping 4200 new leads per month.